A friend of the man whose body was found outside a home in Waddon last week has paid a moving tribute to the young dad as details have emerged as to what happened on the night of his death.

The man who died has been named by his landlord and family friend as Andrii Kupynets, 28, a Ukrainian refugee and labourer who had lived at the address in a room with his wife Olga, 28, his six-month-old daughter Anna and five-year-old son Arsan.

Emergency services were called to the address on the corner of Williams Terrace and Bates Crescent at 4.18am last Friday (January 12) where Andrii was pronounced dead at the scene.

Landlord Rachid Moustahib, 58, described Andrii as “a very good guy who was very friendly and a little bit shy”.

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Croydon pays tribute

He said: “He’s my tenant and he’s from the same country as my wife, we treat his family like family; we go to the house, bring sweets for the kids, we even lent him money for his solicitor with a Home Office case.”

Mr Moustahib is raising funds for Andrii’s wife Olga to take her husband’s body and her two children back to the Ukrainian village they came from.

He said: “She’s not really talking a lot, she wants to take him home. She’s saying that she just wants to go home and bury him at home and be there with her husband and children, far away from here.”

Andrii with his son Arsen and daughter Anna

Efforts have been made to raise the money, but the bill is steep.

Mr Moustahib said: “I have spoken with the vicar at the local Ukrainian church. He said that he would submit the case to specialised companies who take the bodies back to Ukraine once we get him the death certificate.

“We are aiming to raise £5,000 minimum to help him and his family go home. We are putting in £600 to help him.”

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“The Italian said that when he saw Andrii in the living room he was fully clothed, but when he died he was only in his shorts.

“He noticed that the first floor window was open, under which Andrii was lying on his back.

Forensics units gathered items from the house at the time (Image: Grant Melton)

“His wife said she was asleep when it happened.

“She was asleep in the bed earlier with her husband and two kids, the baby was crying a lot and she told him to sleep in the second bed with the son because he’d be tired for work [the next day]; but the question is why he went down to the living room at 2 o’clock.”

Andrii’s friends and family told Mr Moustahib that he was in debt and was borrowing to keep up with bills.

His immigration status was not yet finalised and his case was being processed during the seven months the family were living there. A decision was supposed to come this February as to whether he could stay in the country.

He had told Mr Moustahib and his wife that he was in the UK on a humanitarian basis because of the war in his country.

The forensics tent (Image: Grant Melton)

Mr Moustahib continued: “We don’t know what exactly caused the death.

“The police brought the gas inspector and found no leak in the house. No monoxide, no gas leak, the equipment was all working good, as was the monoxide alarm.”

The incident has rocked Andrii’s family and friends, said Mr Moustahib.

He said: “I’m devastated. I had bought the house with my pension, so when I retire in seven years, I plan to retire there.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to live in that house now because I don’t want to live somewhere like that anymore, that someone I know died. I will always see him on that path.